Sunday Cooking Projects

Kula Country Farms Strawberries

I feel like I do a lot more cooking on the weekends than during the week. Basically I just cook one more meal, but I do tend to plan the more complicated cooking for the weekend.

This morning I made Strawberry Buckwheat Pancakes. I used the Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes from The Gluten-Free Vegan as a guide, but I made my own changes to the recipe.The strawberry flavor isn't extremely strong, so if you'd like more strawberry flavor, try pureeing some strawberries and replace the apple sauce with the puree. The strawberries were locally grown. Here's the recipe, they're definitely worth making.

Strawberry Pancake Breakfast

Strawberry Buckwheat Pancakes

adapted from The Gluten-Free Vegan

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 3 tbsp strawberry guava syrup
• 1 egg or substitute for 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cup milk or non-dairy milk alternative
• 7 medium strawberries, hulled and chopped into 1/8 inch pieces

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl.

Combine the rest of the ingredients, including the strawberries, in large bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until it is thoroughly combined and smooth.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add oil or butter to prevent sticking, if necessary. Ladle 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and heat until bubbles form and pop. Flip the pancake over, and cook until the pancake is cooked through. The pancakes should be a nice brown color.

Serve with more strawberry guava syrup, and if you love peanut butter and jellies use peanut butter instead of butter on the pancakes.

For dinner we had Grilled Chicken Tostadas. These were pretty healthy, and very delicious. We like our Mexican food spicy, so if you don't like too much spice you should use half of the jalapeno and less of the cayenne pepper if you use either at all. The tomatoes and lettuce were locally grown. We didn't have sour cream or yogurt, so we left that out. You could replace that with avocado if you have them readily available.

Grilled Chicken Tostadas

Grilled Chicken Tostadas

AmandaonMaui

• 1 1/2 tsp goya adobo seasoning
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 can refried beans
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and minced
• 2 cups tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
• 4 cups crisp lettuce, chopped
• 9 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 2 grilled chicken breasts
• Cilantro, minced
• Green onions, sliced
• Salsa
• Sour cream, dairy or non, or plain yogurt (optional)

Grill 2 chicken breasts either on an indoor or outdoor grill. Chop into small pieces.

Empty the refried beans into a pan and add the adobo seasoning, red pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and jalapeno pepper. Stir well, and keep over low heat until the rest of the food is prepared.

Heat the oil over medium low heat and add one or two tortillas at a time (depending on the size of the pan) and heat until they are crispy and partially browned.

Remove the tortillas and place onto a platter with paper towels to help absorb some of the oil from the tostadas.

When everything is ready, top the tostadas with beans, lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, cilantro, green onions, salsa and sour cream/yogurt.

Coming Soon: The beauty of pasture raised, not uniform, local eggs.

Easy Gluten-Free Ameri-Mexican

Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

with

Black Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad

Last night I served up grilled chicken quesadillas with Tillamook vintage sharp white cheddar on corn tortillas, with a side of black bean, corn, and tomato salad. This was a quick, easy, delicious, and light dinner. The Black Bean Salad made more than enough for 2, and we'll be eating it for days, but it's good enough that I won't mind a bit!

Perhaps you've noticed my love affair with the Tillamook vintage sharp white cheddar in previous posts. I seem to use it exclusively. Well, it's aged for 2 years which means that the lactose levels are very low in comparison to other cheese (Yes, Kraft shredded "cheeses" often say they contain 0g lactose per serving, but that's not cheese to me), and the flavor is sharp just how I like it. I did consider picking up another package of the Tillamook mild cheddar cheese at Costco, but the budget didn't permit it, and I think the vintage white is able to be used on just about anything that requires cheese. I'd even put it on apple pie if I had an apple pie. That gives me an idea for another post sometime soon. Looks like a bag of apples goes on this week's shopping list.

Going without dairy for nearly 10 years, and now being able to have it again is a wonderful thing to me. I've worked so hard this past year to keep myself healing. I've stayed away from so many delicious gluten containing foods in hopes of healing up and feeling well; and then I learned that some people with a gluten intolerance, or Celiac disease, who have lactose intolerance can eat dairy again after a long enough healing period. Well, I'm one of those people.

So, why on earth after all of that hard work would I eat cheap dairy products? I only eat the good stuff now. Why buy cheap champagne to celebrate something wonderful when you know it's a special treat you won't be having all of the time? It's the same thing for me. Getting to have dairy again is so special to me, that I'm going to buy the best. And, I do treat it like a special occasion when I pull out the Tillamook.

If you have a love affair with Tillamook cheese like I do, check out the Tillamook Fan Club.

Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

with Tillamook Vintage Sharp White Cheddar

8 corn tortillas

2 cups of shredded Tillamook Vintage Sharp White Cheddar

1/2 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts

Crisco for the pan, or other high heat cooking fat

Grill the chicken breasts either on an indoor grill or on an outdoor grill. Slice into pinky finger sized pieces.

Heat the Crisco, or other fat, in a large skillet (I used cast iron) over medium heat until the fat has melted and coated the bottom of the pan.

Place one tortilla into the pan and put about a golf ball sized amount of cheese in the center.

Put as much chicken as you'd like in the quesadilla on top of the cheese, fanning it out toward the edges of the tortilla. Top with about half the amount of cheese put onto the bottom tortilla to make the chicken and top tortilla stick together.

Cook until the bottom tortilla gets crispy, but not burnt, and flip the quesadilla over carefully.

Cook until the other side is crispy. Remove from the pan and repeat the process with the rest of the tortillas, chicken, and cheese until you run out of one of the ingredients (in Chemistry this would be your limiting reagent; I told you all I'd been studying too much...).

If you like your tortillas not crispy, then just cook until the cheese has melted, then flip and repeat. I like mine more like tostadas than soft quesadillas.

Serve with salsa and non-fat plain yogurt, or sour cream.

Note: I used Crisco because a friend of mine said that when she cooks Mexican food she always uses Crisco because it can stand the heat and makes the tortillas nice and crispy. She's been cooking a while longer, than me, and I respect her cooking knowledge. She was definitely right on this one. Normally I wouldn't recommend Crisco as it is a hydrogenated fat (it stays solid at room temperature) which isn't healthy for your body, but if used sparingly it can be included in your cooking.

Black Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad

adapted from vegweb.com

2 cans of black beans (organic preferably) drained and rinsed

2 large ears of corn (organic preferably, I used local), shucked

1 can of diced tomatoes, drained

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 green onions, green parts only, sliced

2 tablespoons dried parsley (or 4 tablespoons fresh, chopped)

1 tsp cumin powder

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Fresh cracked pepper

Break the ears of corn in half and boil for 8-10 minutes until the corn is bright yellow and the kernels are tender. Remove any bad kernels carefully using a paring knife.

Cut the kernels off of the corn cobs using a sharp knife. Place the cob on one end, holding it in place with your fingers at the top of the cob, and the ball of your hand on the side opposite from your cutting point. Slice down the cob, starting at the top, or near the top, and cut all the way down. Turn the cob and continue this procedure. Repeat with the 3 other corn cobs.

In a large bowl combine the minced garlic, green onions, parsley, cumin, vinegar, oil, and pepper. Whisk together well.

Dump the beans, corn, and tomatoes into the bowl, and toss with 2 spoons until the beans, corn, and tomatoes are coated with the spices.

Chill in the fridge while you're making the rest of your meal.

Note: For an extra refreshing kick, add some fresh cilantro and use lime juice instead of the vinegar.

Teriyaki Chicken Donburi

Teriyaki Chicken Donburi

Here's a pretty good picture of last night's dinner. The Nerd says I am getting closer to the flavor and texture of the donburi he remembers having in Seattle years ago. He used to get it at a Japanese Restaurant at First and Seneca in Seattle. It's down by the Harbor Steps. They did have amazing sushi when I went there, so I'm not surprised their donburi would be tasty.

I can't remember where I found the recipe online, but I've made my own changes to it, so here it is:

Teriyaki Chicken Donburi

3 cups of dry, short-grain white rice, cooked

3 cups water

½ cup Braggs, or wheat free Tamari, or wheat free soy sauce

½ cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 clove of smashed, minced garlic

2 organic chicken breasts, thinly sliced

3 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally

2 carrots, julienned

2 cups of mung bean sprouts

12 reconstituted shiitake mushroom caps, or 12 fresh caps

Grapeseed oil, or another high heat oil

Pickled ginger, optional

**Note** The marinade and chicken can be made up the night before, to let the flavors soak in better. See steps 2-5.

1. Cook the rice, and keep warm.

2. Whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, onion powder, and garlic. Set aside.

3. Thinly slice the chicken breasts.

4. Reserve 1/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons of the sauce/marinade.

5. Place chicken breasts into marinade, and make sure all of the pieces are fully covered. Cover the container with plastic wrap and set it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more.

6. Drain the mushrooms, and squeeze out as much excess water as you can.

7. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium to 
medium-high heat.

8. Add the julienned carrots and cook until just before they are tender. Toss in the mushrooms and sprouts next. If you need more oil because of sticking, add it .

9. Stir fry until everything is tender, but not soggy.

10. Remove the vegetables and set aside, keep them warm.

11. Now it’s time for the chicken. Do a test piece of chicken to make sure the pan isn’t too hot or too cold. If it’s too hot then there will be a lot of smoke and sticking. If the pan is too cold you won’t hear any sizzle.

12. Cook up the rest of the chicken, but do not overcrowd the pan. This isn’t stir frying either, so flip each piece of chicken individually. Chopsticks work well for this.

13. Turn off the heat, and set the cooked chicken aside. Keep it warm.

14. Pour some of the reserved marinade into the bottom of each individual serving bowl. Top with rice.

15. Top the rice with 3 mushrooms per bowl, and some of the carrots and bean sprouts.

16. Neatly place the cooked chicken over the top of the vegetables, and garnish with pickled ginger and green onions.

Make Your Own Salad Dressing

The Center of the Home

Tonight I made my very first real salad dressing. I'd thrown oil and vinegar on a salad before, but that's not dressing. That's moisture. To me a dressing needs to be seen, and it needs to have plenty of flavor. It also needs to be able to be a marinade. Oil and vinegar alone aren't much of a marinade.

The Basic Vinaigrette Dressing from Julia's Kitchen Wisdom was the salad coverage this evening. It contains shallot, dijon-mustard, salt, lemon juice (fresh is always best, but you could cheat with bottled), wine vinegar (I went for a white wine vinegar, but I could have used rice wine vinegar, or maybe even red), olive oil, and fresh cracked pepper. The shallot, mustard, lemon juice, and vinegar are a 1:1 ratio. I doubled the recipe so I used 1 Tablespoon of all of those, with 1/2 tsp salt, and 2/3 cup of oil. Add the oil last and whisk very well as you slowly pour the oil in. Julia Child stated that you could shake it in a jar, or whisk it together. She suggested adding the ingredients one at a time, but if you're like me (a throw it all in the bowl and let's go kind of person) you just put everything but the oil and pepper in, then do your whisking. This will keep well in the fridge for almost a week, but the lemon juice and shallot will start to go funky eventually. My doubling serves 12-16.

I marinated a leftover roast chicken breast in this(see, a marinade) and then served it on top of romaine lettuce with some julienned onion (I just learned to julienne yesterday).

Oh, and we each had a salmon-mayo onigiri because the Nerd wanted some rice, and he said "How about an onigiri with it?" So, we had surf and turf.

I'm sorry, but I forgot a picture (I took a picture of my kitchen post clean up for you). It also wasn't the prettiest presentation considering I accidentally put too much dressing on each salad. We ate 6 servings each! Yikes!

But hey, olive oil is a "good" fat.

Cooking Projects

My Chicken, Peep

This would have been a lovely picture of my homemade roasted chicken, courtesy of the recipe for roasted chicken in Julia's Kitchen Wisdom, but I forgot to get a picture of it, and then we ate our dinner and I destroyed the carcass:

Destroyed!

I'm not good at carving, and I certainly don't make things pretty when I rip the meat off the bones of a chicken. I just try to get as much off of there as I possibly can. I was hoping for more meat than what I acquired from this chicken, but then again I did end up with another mouth to feed(which is alright by me as I love to feed others).

After cooking a whole roasted chicken stuffed with celery leaves, a whole sliced lemon, and half an onion, and cooking up a batch of mashed potatoes that made 8 servings, I wanted to cook more food.

I spotted my target: the leftover corn bread. It was going stale anyway, and so I sped up the process by baking it in the oven (after cutting it into 1/2 inch cubes) at 350F for 30 minutes. This did a great job of drying the bread out. The food processor attachment that came with my blender, an Oster 12 speed, did a good job at shredding these bread cubes into bread crumbs (the only other decent job its done in its life was when it made hummus).

Cornbread Cubes

I also turned the chicken carcass into a stock. I followed a recipe for stock from, once again, Julia's Kitchen Wisdom. While the chicken was cooking I took the time to cut up a bunch of carrots, onions, and celery to cook in the stock. I put them in the pot, and then I put the pot in the fridge until I was ready for it. I also made an herb bouquet from a recipe in the book. This was a delicious stock, and I used it tonight when I made soup, but more on that later.

Cornbread Crumbs

After all of this cooking, and visiting with a friend, 11pm showed up and I was exhausted from all of my day's events (including staining my desk, doing chemistry school work, etc.) and I headed to bed to gear up for another day of projects and good food.

Crockpot Chicken and Cornbread Dumplings

Crockpot Chicken and Cornbread Dumplings

Yesterday I attempted to make the chicken and cornbread dumplings from $5dinners. However, I was short on some ingredients, and the white sauce recipe she links to on the page doesn't make enough for the chicken and dumplings, and so I got a little frantic. I had to throw in every frozen veggie I had, but I still came up 5oz short. Yikes. Then, when the sauce only made half of what the recipe called for (I could have foreseen this if I'd had time, but I had to get out the door and so had to do this fast) I threw in some more soy-milk into the pan with a little arrowroot starch and some scrapings of the already made sauce. I didn't have the time for it to fully reduce, but I put it in the crock-pot anyway. I slapped the lid on the pot, turned it on low, and got on with the rest of my day.

When I got home it was still cooking away, smelling pretty darn good. At about 4pm, the bf tells me that there's an event we might need to go to, so I turned the crock-pot on high. When 5pm rolled around I turned the crock-pot back to low for the rest of the hour and a half of cook time because it turned out that the bf(whom I will refer to as my nerd in future posts, just to get rid of this awful bf thing) decided there was no need for us to go, and that he'd rather stay home anyway. That's fine, I can go with that.

But the chicken soup didn't like that. The sauce separated a bit from being turned on high. *sigh* When 5:30 arrived I threw the pieces of cornbread on top of the soup as the recipe directed me to, and I wandered off for more studying.

When dinner time finally showed up I was ready for it. Serving up this concoction was rather a trial. Since the pieces of chicken were not cut into bite size pieces (I wasn't directed to do so), I had to use my spoon to break them in half. The cornbread didn't like getting shoved around and mixed about (especially since it is gluten-free) and crumbled quite a bit into the soup. Things were a bit more liquidy than I had anticipated (oh, I forgot to mention that I followed an old family trick of putting some instant mashed potatoes into the soup for thickening).

But, before I knew it, I had gobbled up every bite out of my bowl. I looked down, and it was gone. My salad had vanished too.

So, just because it wasn't pretty, was under-seasoned, was liquid-y, and had slightly separated, doesn't mean it wasn't delicious comfort food(a necessity after too much chemistry studying).

If I were going to do this again, I'd double the sauce recipe and add a lot more pepper. I'd also make sure I had enough vegetables, and I'd thaw them before adding to cut down on the melting water in the pot. I'd also cut the chicken into smaller pieces. I may thaw it too, but if I didn't I think things would be okay if I left the pot on low.

I'd say it was a good experiment in panic cooking and in learning to throw stuff together.

Thus ends the week of 20 some dollars to spend on groceries.

My budget has actually increased to 120 a week, but it's better if I don't go over 100 so that I can have money for Costco. More on that in the Thursday Meal Plan!

Eating Healthier

I'm trying to eat healthier and make my portions more reasonable. I'm from the south of the United States where portions are traditionally very large, and buffets are everywhere.

Having lived away from the southern US for a while now, I can't fork it down quite like I used to, but I can still out eat most everyone I know.

I was doing pretty well a while back, but I've fallen back into too much snacking and too large of portions (according to my mind).

I'm not in need of losing weight. Heck, I've not seen my belly this flat in years. However, I am trying to keep myself from developing unhealthy habits later in life. As I said in a previous post, I don't want to develop a multitude of health problems caused by a poor diet.

So, I am going to be working on that while I blog.

I did pretty well this morning. I had a smaller serving of Bob's Red Mill's Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal with one Kapalua Farms egg (cooked in cast iron without added fats) seasoned with crushed red pepper flakes (Did you know they're quite good for you? If eaten in the morning, according to YOU: On a Diet, they will help decrease your appetite, thus reducing your caloric intake.)

Later I had some Cultured Soy Yogurt by Nancy's, with some organic blueberries from Costco (I thawed them out last night).

For lunch I had some not so healthy Candy Chicken leftovers (see my previous post for the recipe).

I just finished my afternoon snack which wasn't terrifically healthy to me (but the bf thought it was fine) of organic tortilla chips and some organic salsa. I also munched on some leftover salmon- vegan light canola mayo salad with Blue Diamond Almond Nut Thins.

So much for portion control on the afternoon snack. I knew the chips and salsa weren't satisfying enough, and when I spotted the teeny bit of leftover salmon salad I couldn't resist.

Dinner tonight is the Enchiladas. I am thinking of putting some organic canned pumpkin in them for extra vitamins (and because I'm out of spinach, oops).

I'll try to get up a picture when they're fresh out of the oven. I need to go make the enchilada sauce now.

Cheap Healthy Good: 1 Chicken, 17 Healthy Meals, $26 Bucks, No Mayo

Cheap Healthy Good: 1 Chicken, 17 Healthy Meals, $26 Bucks, No Mayo

This is a great idea, and I may just have to give it a shot in a week or so.